I was watching in Tampa with their LFC supporters group and you'd have thought we just scored the winner. What a fricking move. Massively impressed with him over these first few matches. He's gotten into this squad without missing a stride. He and Suarez will be absolutely deadly in a few months.

re: Liverpool FC 2012/13 Season Long Thread(Posted by Tigerstark on 1/27/13 at 3:55 pm to TheOcean)

Why do I feel like half the goals we give up were way too easy?

We bungle possesion, the goalie drops the ball, a CD has horrid position on an easy pass towards the box, etc.

We concentrate on more attacking players in the transfer window, but we have a severe shortage of good players on defense. And frankly as much as I've liked Reina for these last years, I think his best is behind him. We do not have anyone that plays that I've seen that has a good future.

At this point our defense should be our biggest concern. Goals haven't been a problem the last month or so in the league. I believe we are something like 5th in Europe in defensive errors. Just simply not good enough.

Agger is world class, but that is it. Johnson is close to that level, and then there is a serious drop-off. My #1 and #2 priorities would be #1 a CB and #2 a reliable LB. We should address these issues in the summer.

Skrtel is good, but that is it. He is not great and he definitely isn't world class. His development has virtually ended, and I would bet this is the peak of his career. He is probably good enough to get us through the rest of the season, but he isn't good enough to get us to the next level (CL).

re: Liverpool FC 2012/13 Season Long Thread(Posted by Meursault on 1/27/13 at 6:23 pm to LSUSOBEAST1)

About reaching 4th....

If we get 3 points on Wednesday I believe we can do it. Our form in league matches has been good, and my confidence has been steadily increasing. Arsenal, Tottenham, and Everton are the only real 'must wins' as far as opponents ahead of us are concerned.

Of course this assumes we don't shite the bed against clubs below us. And that is a big assumption.

re: Liverpool FC 2012/13 Season Long Thread(Posted by McRebel42 on 1/28/13 at 10:32 am to LSUSOBEAST1)

quote:Our youngsters have a lot to learn.

The one that can get PT need it and the ones that can't need loan spells to keep them playing. This is why it sucks so much that we keep losing these cup games. Those are valuable oppurtunities for the younger guys to play.

quote:Sterling was largely shite and nearly got himself sent off.

He needs better competition he seems to have regressed a bit ... maybe a loan spell is needed for him if we were able to bring someone in to play the position.

quote:Robinson is a good talent, but he is raw and his decision making needs to improve. There is no excuse for hitting a volley in stoppage time instead of putting the ball in the box where there is a world class striker.

We have young defensive talent that I think can be good but the need PT desperately ... we need them to play or loan them out.

quote:Coates was simply atrocious in nearly every aspect of the match.

Has to be loaned out no question about it I think he is a good talent and in time has the potential to be a great defender, we just have to get him some PT. In relation to this I think Martin Kelly is ultimately a CB and needs time in this role as well.

quote:Joe Allen is outmatched when playing rugby teams. Rodgers needs to have better foresight in that regard.

I'm sorry I think he sucks and we need to get rid of him. There are other players out there that are capable of the same shite that are taller, stronger, defend better & more clinical that we could get. Hell I'd take Sacha Kljestan from Anderlecht and he'd do better than Allen would I promise this.

quote:At this point our defense should be our biggest concern. Goals haven't been a problem the last month or so in the league. I believe we are something like 5th in Europe in defensive errors. Just simply not good enough.

Agger is world class, but that is it. Johnson is close to that level, and then there is a serious drop-off. My #1 and #2 priorities would be #1 a CB and #2 a reliable LB. We should address these issues in the summer.

Wish we had the $$$ to go get Hummels, could you imagine him and Agger together. IDK for the LB I truly thought Enrique was going to be a good buy for us and that just never really went anywhere.

quote:Skrtel is good, but that is it. He is not great and he definitely isn't world class. His development has virtually ended, and I would bet this is the peak of his career. He is probably good enough to get us through the rest of the season, but he isn't good enough to get us to the next level (CL).

If we were able to get someone the likes of Hummels, Skrtel would be a wonderful second choice option when you needed to give one of the First squad guys a rest.

quote:LB is self-explanatory.

Yet I have no idea for this.

Sorry I know TL;DR but here is to hoping we continue to progress and this time next year we have brought in the people required to compete, have made good cup runs both at home and abroad & and are in contention for the top 4 and that CL place.

re: Liverpool FC 2012/13 Season Long Thread(Posted by LSUSOBEAST1 on 1/28/13 at 11:02 am to McRebel42)

quote:He needs better competition he seems to have regressed a bit

Nature of the beast when dealing with an 18-year-old. Gonna be massive ups and downs. His best years are still at least 5 years away, so he has a lot of room to grow and learn from the likes of Lucas, Agger, Gerrard and Suarez.

quote:I'm sorry I think he sucks and we need to get rid of him.

He's extremely effective in particular matches. He works best when paired with a destroyer or overly physical midfielder who can make their presence known in the midfield. When in a midfield 3 alongside Lucas, Gerrard or Shelvey, Allen is allowed to play his game and not worry about dealing with physical midfielders. Those other guys are willing to do the dirty work, get in a player's head, commit a foul when need be, etc. Yesterday he was paired with Henderson and Suarez. Henderson is a technical midfielder, similar to Allen, who relies on positioning and intelligence, rather than physical strength, to boss a midfield. Suarez is purely offensive and is only mildly effective dropping deeper into the midfield.

Admittedly, I was hopeful of the formation yesterday. But like I said, in hindsight, it just wasn't balanced. The only way that formation was going to succeed is if we got out to a quick lead and Oldham were then forced to chase the match.

re: Liverpool FC 2012/13 Season Long Thread(Posted by TFTC on 1/28/13 at 11:03 am to McRebel42)

I would definitely be open to competition for Skrtel, although I think he's not bad when partnered with Agger. He's come along way from 3 years ago when he was so frustrating as a player... Not sure who is realistic, Ive seen all the neames we're linked with, but have never watched any play..

I thought Enrique had been playing well after a shite second half of last season... I've always thought we need to bring legit competition in for his spot... Obviously, Jack is not ready for it (I'd love to invest in Luke Shaw from Southhampton... been very impressed when I see him)

I think Allen is a good player that will get better, definitely overpaid for him but you knew that was gonna happen all along...

re: Liverpool FC 2012/13 Season Long Thread(Posted by LSUSOBEAST1 on 1/28/13 at 11:15 am to TFTC)

We need a fricking fighter in our squad. Someone more than just Suarez. Someone who will win at all costs. Someone you have to kill to prevent them from getting up. Someone with a massive heart and massive passion. Someone like Mascherano.